City Paper Gaming Issue

When I was playing Duck Hunt on my Nintendo Entertainment System back in the 1980s, I remember thinking that we had finally reached the apex of video gaming. “Screw you, Atari! I’m shooting ducks that look like ducks!” Sitting here today, however, it’s obvious that I had no vision about where game-playing was headed.

Our gaming issue isn’t just about video games, although we certainly cover those. It’s about celebrating games in all forms. I have no idea where gaming will be in another 30 years, but I truly believe we are living in the best time for it. Everyone plays video games now, even your grandmother, if she has a smart phone. Competitive video gaming is set to become the new must-watch sport of a generation, and even casinos are using video-game technology to bring in new players. But not everything’s digital. Board gaming is in the middle of a renaissance, and if you’re more of a do-it-yourselfer, you can always grab a costume, a foam sword and get LARPing.

The best part of gaming is that it offers an option that other parts of our life don’t: If you lose, you can always reset the board and start again.